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Research paper topic: Ethnographic Paper - 1003 words

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Ethnographic Paper The Pleasure of Pain These days
anything can be considered art. The structure of a
building, the human body, music on the radio,
love, Versaci's new line of winter, and pretty
transvestites walking down the street are just a
few of hundreds of thousands of examples. That
kind of art is overrated. Most of these only exist
because of society. As people grow and change so
does the values and traditions that they are
accustomed to.

True art hangs on the walls of
museums all over the world. Paintings by Monet, Da
Vinci, and Picasso represent all that can be made
beautiful by a man's touch. The word tattoo comes
from the Tahitian word tattau, which means 'to
tap,' and can be traced back through a part of
history. The art of tattoos has been evident since
ancient Egypt and more than 1,500 years ago the
Japanese marked criminals as a symbol of shame for
their punishment (Britannica, 2000). In the
nineteenth century tattoos were viewed as
frightful and grotesque, but as the twentieth
century rolled by technology gave way to the
trend.

The electric needle created a sense of
precision and control. This is how the various
designs developed and tattooing became more about
expression, rather than branding. It is a
guarantee that tattoo and piercing artists can be
found by the thousands in a metropolitan city.
Their form of art may be simpler to an extent, but
it has been growing in popularity for years. By
using the body as a gateway for expression, people
can present themselves in a new light, and as a
mean for recreating their image. The concept of
transferring art on paper to the body for the mere
purpose of self-pleasure is attracting all types
of people.

It is impossible to walk through a mall
without spotting people of all ages with this type
of branding. " Young adults have accepted this
practice as a normal part of their culture. You
can't escape it." Says Walter Hewitt, who recently
completed a 19-school study on tattoos and
piercing (Vogel, 2000). There are big ones, small
ones, tasteful ones, tacky ones, and probably some
temporary ones, and because tattooing is forever
and also carries a mental heath risk known as
regret, the decision to get one shouldn't be taken
lightly. The customer is very vulnerable when
entering a tattoo and piercing parlor, because all
their trust for a good product is put in the hands
of the artist.

But how are we to know the artist's
level of experience, the reputation of their
business, the cleanliness of their needles, the
moderate price of a piercing or tattoo, or even if
the area of work on the body is prone to
infection? An article from The San Diego
Union-Tribune states that, " It [tattoos and
piercing] has become so popular that professional
piercers around the globe are seeking legislation
that would establish sanitation and safety
regulations for those in the piercing business."
Since the hollow needles that are used in piercing
and tattooing can carry hepatitis, tuberculosis,
the virus that causes AIDs and various skin
diseases, business are looking for legal
protection and supervision by the state. Despite
its growing popularity, body piercing is only
regulated in seven states. Before entering Ground
Zero Tattoos, located at 329 Northwestern Avenue,
I assumed that every tattoo and piercing parlor
looks the same. Of course, there should be an area
where the tattoo and piercing artists do their
work, and another area for the customers. Also,
there would be mirrors, couches, a coffee table,
and a few ashtrays resting on magazines.

Pictures
of naked women, tribal art, and Chinese symbols
would line the walls so the customers can find
something they like. The atmosphere would consist
of cigarette smoke, and an intense mood floating
in the air. I decided to go to Ground Zero to see
if it fit my mold of a tattoo parlor. I found
myself parking my car in between the yellow lines
in front of Ground Zero. The beige bricks hugged
the building, and the dark brown door begged me to
come in.

As I stepped out of my car, the sign that
said Ground Zero displayed just a sample of the
art that I found inside. There, above the wooden
door, mounted on the bricks, was a woman lying in
a black net hammock, wearing a simple pink bikini.
The soft colors of the drawing looked as if it
were airbrushed to the canvas. The purple and pink
neon sign said open, and I reassured myself I'd be
fine. I made my way to the door and a chime
sounded when I pushed it open. The music of
Sublime was playing in sound speakers around the
room.

My feet dragged on the beige carpeting until
I approached the glass display case to see what
was inside. I found a number of tongue, belly, and
earrings in every size, shape, and color. Directly
in front of me was a cow skull and horns hanging
off of the white wall. I peeped my head around the
corner and called for someone to talk to. When
Jared, the piercing artist, approached me he
fulfilled some of the stereotypes I had about the
employees of the business.

He is a tall, thin,
Caucasian guy, about 24 years old. Jared didn't
have very much muscle, and I didn't see any
tattoos on him. What he did have was his ear holes
stretched out to fit those tiny black plastic
dots, and a chin piercing that defined his lips.
To my right was the waiting area that holds about
8 customers at a time. It looked fairly
comfortable considering the girls occupying the
seats were there to about undergo pain for the
sake of decoration. They began to fidget as they
were looked at the variety of tattoos.

There were
posters and posters of their art. The walls were
painted a rusted dark red that went along with the
Texan theme. Located near the chairs were shelves
tha ...